Celtics-Pistons: Playoff Matchup Brings Up Old Memories

Okay, I’m just going to say it.  I hate the Pistons.

Always have, always will.

It is one of those things where in my head there are so many reasons why and it makes sense, and at the same time, there really isn’t a reason and it is irrational.  Either way, I hate the Detroit Pistons.

The Pistons were really the first team that I grew to hate.  Before I hated the Yankees, I hated the Pistons.  Before I hated the Colts, I hated the Pistons.  Before I hated Duke, I hated the Pistons.

I hate Isiah Thomas.

I hate Rick Mahorn and Dennis Rodman.

I hate Ben Wallace.  I hate Richard Hamilton’s stupid mask.  I hate that Chauncey Billups was an average player at best before getting to Detroit.  I hate that the Pistons were able to acquire Rasheed Wallace essentially due to Danny Ainge's help.

I hate it every time the Pistons’ announcer yells, “Detroit Basketball.”

I hate the Pistons for defeating the Celtics in six games in the 1988 Eastern Conference Finals, stopping Boston’s four-year streak of reaching the finals.  I hate the Pistons for knocking the Celtics out of the playoffs in six games in 1991, and I will never forget the phantom offensive goaltending call on Kevin McHale that decided Game 6.

And, of course, I hate Bill Laimbeer.  I hate him for clotheslining Larry Bird during the 1987 playoffs, and I also hate him for getting his face in the way of Robert Parish’s fist in that same series.

I even hate the Pistons for what they did against another team - walking off the court before the end of the deciding game when Detroit lost to the Bulls in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals.

The one Piston that I remember watching that I didn’t really hate is the same Piston who now runs the team: Joe Dumars.  I think this was in part a result of how much I didn’t like Isiah Thomas.  I felt like no matter what Dumars did, it was overshadowed by Thomas, which made me dislike Thomas more and actually like (as much as I could like a Piston) Dumars.

Larry Bird was and is my favorite all-time athlete, and as if I needed any more reason, I hated Isiah Thomas for what he said about Bird.

I also expect that if a Piston fan is being honest, I’d hear all about hating Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Danny Ainge, Paul Pierce, and I am sure some others.  These teams hated each other and when the teams feel that way, you know it carries over to the fans.

Boston and Detroit have had some great battles over the last 21 years in the postseason.  The Celtics won the seven-game series in the Eastern Conference Finals in 1987.  The Bad Boy Pistons made a name for themselves in that series, but it was the Celtics who ultimately prevailed. 

In that epic series, the home team won each game, with Boston winning game seven in the Garden 117-114. And of course we all remember how Game 5 ended: with Bird stealing the ball.

A year later, it was Detroit who knocked Boston out of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference Finals.  Detroit would lose that year in the finals to the Lakers, but come back in 1989 to win the first of their consecutive titles.  In fact, the Pistons 1989 playoff run began with a three-game sweep over the Celtics, who played without Larry Bird in the series and for a majority of the season.

The rivalry between the Celtics and the Pistons ended (or at least took a long break) until the 2002 season, when the teams met in the second round of the playoffs.  Pierce entered the Pistons series fresh off a 46-point performance in the deciding fifth-game win over Philly.  The Pistons, the No. 2 seed, won Game 1 against Boston.  But after dropping Game 1, Boston would win four in a row behind Pierce and Antoine Walker. 

I vividly remember Antoine walking off the Detroit court after a Celtic win with an angry Cliff Robinson yelling in his ear.  To Antoine, talking was just part of the game, it wasn't personal.  But Robinson took it personally.  It didn't really matter to Walker, though, because the Celtics won that game and the series.

The Celtics began that series unbeaten at home in the '02 postseason and winless on the road (albeit 3-0 at home, 0-2 on the road).  But after dropping Game 1 in Detroit, the Celtics won Game 2 on the road, then both home games before clinching the series back in Motown in Game 5.

Following the 2002 season, the teams' paths diverged.  For Detroit, out went Jerry Stackhouse and in came Richard Hamilton and Chauncey Billups.  For the Celtics, out went Rodney Rogers and in came Vin Baker.  Shocking the teams went in different directions after such moves.

The Pistons would get to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2003 for what would be the first of six consecutive trips, highlighted by an NBA championship in 2004. 

Boston, on the other hand, never achieved the level it did in 2002; losing in the second round of the playoffs in 2003, the first round in 2004 and '05, and missing the postseason completely in 2006 and '07, with rock bottom being the 24-win campaign a year ago.

The Celtics reemerged this season.

Taking a look back at the regular season games between the teams, the Celtics won two of three. 

In December, the Pistons handed the Celtics their first home loss of the season, 87-85.  Billups scored 28, including the game-winning free throws with a tenth of a second left. 

A month later, the Celtics, behind 20 points by Glen Davis, came out of Detroit with a 92-85 win.  The Celtics then won the final meeting in March, 90-78.  KG led the scoring with 31 points, and Kendrick Perkins grabbed 20 rebounds.

But now it is the Eastern Conference Finals and I don’t take much at all from those regular-season games.  Since the start of the second half of Game 4 against the 76ers, the Pistons have taken their play to a higher level, winning seven of eight games, including a pair without Billups over Orlando in the last round.

As far as the Celtics, I do not know exactly what to make of the Cleveland series. Did the Celtics just win a hard-fought series against a great playoff team due to the presence of LeBron James, or did the Celtics struggle to eliminate a team that needed six games to get past the Washington Wizards?  I really am not sure, but I think we will find out quickly.

There are some great matchups: Rasheed vs. KG; UConn alums Richard Hamilton vs. Ray Allen; and Pierce vs. Tayshaun Prince, who always guards him tough.  Even Maxiell vs. Powe/Davis.  Don't forget Doc Rivers and Flip Saunders matching wits (note hint of sarcasm).

Celtics-Pistons has been what everyone has expected basically all season in the East.  After a small bump in the road against Philadelphia, the Pistons have made it look easy getting to the Eastern Conference Finals.  It's their sixth straight trip - you get the sense they expected to be in this position, and now it is time to get serious.

The Celtics?  Heading into the postseason with the best record in the league, I thought it would be a little easier than this. Boston has needed to go the distance in each round, and now I don’t think anyone really knows what to expect.

On one hand, someone is going to have to be able to win in Boston in order to knock out the Celtics.  On the other hand, you have to assume the Pistons won’t be intimidated playing on the road, and if Boston wants to reach the finals for the first time since 1987, the Celtics are going to need to win a game in Detroit.

While the NBA has always been about stars, the Celtics and Pistons are about the team concept.  The Lakers win with Kobe, the Cavs with LeBron – the Pistons win because of a team effort, and that is the same thing the Celtics have tried to do all season.  

Both teams, though, have the talent to turn to when they need a big play. For Detroit, it is typically either Billlups or Walllace.  We saw in Game 7 that when the Celtics need a star to step forward, the call goes to Paul Pierce.

I am expecting another hard-fought, long series where the bad blood between the Pistons and Celtics is rekindled. 

I know that no matter the outcome though, at the end of the series, I will still hate the Pistons.